build advice

[norseamd]

my old computer is having problems, so i might buy a new computer.

it will be used for gaming, browsing, and learning productivity software like autocad, inventor, and solidworks. this wont be used for any professional engineering work. just school courses.

amd 8350
970 or 990fx motherboard
1866 memory
some cheap case

might buy

seasonic 750 x
270x (vapor x or hawx at top of my list right now)
a closed loop water cooler (corsair h55?)

thoughts?

 

[lehtv]

http://forums.anandtech.com/showthread.php?t=80121

 

[norseamd]

1. it will be used for gaming, browsing, and learning productivity software like autocad, inventor, and solidworks. this wont be used for any professional engineering work. just school courses.

2. preferably less than 750

3. us

4. not applicable

5. amd

6. depends on if they are still good

xfx 6850
corsair gs 800
asus xonar dx
asus pci-e wireless card

7. run at default settings

8. 1080p

9. several weeks
might wait for kaveri

x. windows

 

[mfenn]

Your PSU, sound card, and wireless card are definitely reusable. The GPU is also reusable, but actually reusing it depends on whether or not a substantial upgrade can be had within your budget.

FX-6300 $110
MSI 970A-G46 $70 AR
G.Skill Ares DDR3 1600 8GB $53
MSI GTX 760 $250 AR
Seagate 7200RPM 1TB $55 AP
Lite-ON DVD Burner $15
Reuse PSU $0
NZXT H230 $50 AP
Reuse sound card $0
Reuse wireless card $0
Windows 8.1 Full $120
Total: $723 AP

 

[norseamd]

i have a dvd drive that is probably reusable

also i would prefer to use amd graphics
windows 7 and wd are preferred also

how about this

amd 8350 $200
asus 970 R2.0 $90
WD black 1 TB $90
windows 7 oem $100
mushkin 8gb 1866 997008 $83

$563

the nzxt looks good, but a white or red case will not work. black or a dark blue or green would. how about the source or guardian?

 

[mfenn]

i have a dvd drive that is probably reusable

also i would prefer to use amd graphics
windows 7 and wd are preferred also

how about this

amd 8350 $200
asus 970 R2.0 $90
WD black 1 TB $90
windows 7 oem $100
mushkin 8gb 1866 997008 $83

$563

the nzxt looks good, but a white or red case will not work. black or a dark blue or green would. how about the source or guardian?

You don't have the budget to spend $200 on a CPU and $90 on an HDD and still get a decent GPU. Specifically:

- CPU: If you're going to spend $200 on a CPU (which you don't have the budget for), then you should get a Haswell i5, no question. Is just much faster than an FX-8350. As it stands, you don't have the budget, so stick with the FX-6300
- Mobo: Might as well save $20 with my pick
- HDD : The WD Black is way overpriced at $90 for a 1TB drive. If you absolutely must have a WD, then get the Blue. But really, the Seagate is just as good and costs less.
- OS: Windows 7 is fine, personal preference
- RAM: Too expensive for what it is. The G.Skill Ares is sold out, so grab this Ripjaws kit for $68 AP.
- GPU: You could certainly substitute an R9 270X for $200. It's slower than the GTX 760 though the next step up the AMD product line is too expensive
- Case: The Source 220 isn't as nice of a case as the H230, but it is a reasonable choice if you can't have white.

 

[norseamd]

You don't have the budget to spend $200 on a CPU and $90 on an HDD and still get a decent GPU. Specifically:

- CPU: If you're going to spend $200 on a CPU (which you don't have the budget for), then you should get a Haswell i5, no question. Is just much faster than an FX-8350. As it stands, you don't have the budget, so stick with the FX-6300
- Mobo: Might as well save $20 with my pick
- HDD : The WD Black is way overpriced at $90 for a 1TB drive. If you absolutely must have a WD, then get the Blue. But really, the Seagate is just as good and costs less.
- OS: Windows 7 is fine, personal preference
- RAM: Too expensive for what it is. The G.Skill Ares is sold out, so grab this Ripjaws kit for $68 AP.
- GPU: You could certainly substitute an R9 270X for $200. It's slower than the GTX 760 though the next step up the AMD product line is too expensive
- Case: The Source 220 isn't as nice of a case as the H230, but it is a reasonable choice if you can't have white.

thankyou

i would like advice on what motherboard would be best. reliability would be main quality. otherwise performance for price would be considered.

as far as the hard drive, i was looking at the blue also, just was thinking of warranty as well and also speed, if i use it as a boot drive. i might just buy a 2 tb considering my old computer was filling up a 750 quite full. i was having to delete programs to keep some amount of space on it if i needed to install anything, like free steam weekend games. i know seagate and wd are about the same, but considering my problems with my old computer are likely either the motherboard or hard drive (likely software but might be hardware, probably not, but i do not know enough about computer problems to know), i just figured i buy a wd since there might not be much harm.

i might buy a small ssd for os and certain applications like autocad and steam (steam library would go on hard drive) do you know if applications still see improvements if the data files are housed on a hard drive?

if i buy a new video card it will probably be a 270x

my budget is not exactly set in stone, so i could spend more.

is there any way to tell if a video card is good without a working computer that can fit it?

considering the new consoles have 8 threads, i want to have a processor that would work well with future games.

how much room does the source have inside? if i reuse my corsair i want to make to cables do not take up half the space.

 

[lehtv]

Overall I mostly agree with mfenn's recommendations.

This mobo+CPU combo: FX-6300 + Asus M5A97 LE R2.0 $175 ($165 AR) -> save $15 compared to the MSI board

G.Skill Ares 2x4 1600 seems to be back in stock at $53 -> save $15 compared to Ripjaws (buy it before it's out of stock again) EDIT: Aaaand it's gone. Next best: G.Skill RipjawsX blue 2x4 1600 $58

If you want to include an SSD, that will put you a bit over the budget. Currently I'd get Crucial M500 120GB for $85 from Amazon.

If you're willing to spend even more: i5-4570 + Asrock B85M-Pro4 $255

Compare: http://www.anandtech.com/bench/product/699?vs=837

 

[lehtv]

i would like advice on what motherboard would be best. reliability would be main quality. otherwise performance for price would be considered.

Since you're not intending to overclock, it doesn't really matter. As long as it's from a major manufacturer (msi/asus/gigabyte/asrock) and has all the standard features like USB 3 and SATA 6gb/s and four DIMM slots, it's fine.

Performance differences between motherboards (CPU overclockability not included) are irrelevantly small.

as far as the hard drive, i was looking at the blue also, just was thinking of warranty as well and also speed, if i use it as a boot drive. i might just buy a 2 tb considering my old computer was filling up a 750 quite full.

Blue is actually a bit faster. There is no difference in reliability, all you pay for in the Black drive is longer warranty. Which I don't think is worth it.

2TB is actually a great idea - Amazon has Seagate ST2000DM001 for $80. Superb value, and also faster than Black.

i might buy a small ssd for os and certain applications like autocad and steam (steam library would go on hard drive) do you know if applications still see improvements if the data files are housed on a hard drive?

Yes, applications do benefit from being installed on the SSD even if they retrieve data from a hard disk.

is there any way to tell if a video card is good without a working computer that can fit it?

What do you mean if it's "good"? There are video card reviews on the internet.

considering the new consoles have 8 threads, i want to have a processor that would work well with future games.

Then buy Intel. AMD processors have relatively low performance per thread - an Intel i5 with four threads performs similarly to AMD FX-8350 in games that make use of heavy multithreading, and better in games that rely on four or fewer threads. All this while consuming half as much power. Plus it has an IGP for backup in case something happens to your graphics card.

If you want Intel with hyperthreading, get Xeon E3-1230 V3. But that's $255, and it's not as good performance for the money as the Intel i5 motherboard combo I posted.

how much room does the source have inside? if i reuse my corsair i want to make to cables do not take up half the space.

That's a valid concern, the GS800 is not modular and the Source isn't that roomy. However... I don't think that's the biggest of your worries here. You can always just leave unused cables on the floor of the case or under the hard drive cage. It doesn't make much difference.

I'd get Cooler Master N400 $40 AR. Comes with two 120mm fans.

 

[norseamd]

Since you're not intending to overclock, it doesn't really matter. As long as it's from a major manufacturer (msi/asus/gigabyte/asrock) and has all the standard features like USB 3 and SATA 6gb/s and four DIMM slots, it's fine.

Performance differences between motherboards (CPU overclockability not included) are irrelevantly small.

which ones run a full uefi bios? is uefi worth anything over the regular bios?

is there any difference between 2400 and 2600 fsb?

Blue is actually a bit faster. There is no difference in reliability, all you pay for in the Black drive is longer warranty. Which I don't think is worth it.

2TB is actually a great idea - Amazon has Seagate ST2000DM001 for $80. Superb value, and also faster than Black.

alright. i saw toshiba has a 2tb drive for cheap. are they reliable? i saw they have some bad reviews on some of their prducts, but certain models can be bad. not necassarily all of the company products.

What do you mean if it's "good"? There are video card reviews on the internet.

if a card i already have is broke or not. i saw they have power supply testers. is they anything like that for video cards?

Then buy Intel. AMD processors have relatively low performance per thread - an Intel i5 with four threads performs similarly to AMD FX-8350 in games that make use of heavy multithreading, and better in games that rely on four or fewer threads. All this while consuming half as much power. Plus it has an IGP for backup in case something happens to your graphics card.

If you want Intel with hyperthreading, get Xeon E3-1230 V3. But that's $255, and it's not as good performance for the money as the Intel i5 motherboard combo I posted.

i know intel has fast processors. i support amd because of intel business practices.

That's a valid concern, the GS800 is not modular and the Source isn't that roomy. However... I don't think that's the biggest of your worries here. You can always just leave unused cables on the floor of the case or under the hard drive cage. It doesn't make much difference.

on my old case i had to route a whole bunch of cable into a drive bay. even so the cables took up a whole bunch of space. i am worried about whether this might make a computer too hot because of airflow.

 

[mfenn]

I'd get Cooler Master N400 $40 AR. Comes with two 120mm fans.

This mobo+CPU combo: FX-6300 + Asus M5A97 LE R2.0 $175 ($165 AR) -> save $15 compared to the MSI board

G.Skill Ares 2x4 1600 seems to be back in stock at $53 -> save $15 compared to Ripjaws (buy it before it's out of stock again) EDIT: Aaaand it's gone. Next best: G.Skill RipjawsX blue 2x4 1600 $58

If you want to include an SSD, that will put you a bit over the budget. Currently I'd get Crucial M500 120GB for $85 from Amazon.

Nice finds!

 

[mfenn]

which ones run a full uefi bios? is uefi worth anything over the regular bios?

A fancy background JPG? The usage paradigm is pretty much unchanged right now.

is there any difference between 2400 and 2600 fsb?

There is no such thing as a FSB on any modern processor, so I'm not quite sure what you're talking about here.

alright. i saw toshiba has a 2tb drive for cheap. are they reliable? i saw they have some bad reviews on some of their prducts, but certain models can be bad. not necassarily all of the company products.

I have lots of them in my storage servers at work, they're fine. No more or less reliable than Seagates or WD's overall.

if a card i already have is broke or not. i saw they have power supply testers. is they anything like that for video cards?

Such things exist, but they are multi-million dollar pieces of factory test equipment. As a consumer, your best test kit is a computer.

i know intel has fast processors. i support amd because of intel business practices.

Not even going here.

on my old case i had to route a whole bunch of cable into a drive bay. even so the cables took up a whole bunch of space. i am worried about whether this might make a computer too hot because of airflow.

I wouldn't worry about it. People like to make the inside of their cases look nice (which is fine), but you'd be hard pressed to find a meaningful cooling difference.

 

[norseamd]

A fancy background JPG? The usage paradigm is pretty much unchanged right now.

Ability to boot from large disks (over 2 TiB) with a GUID Partition Table
CPU-independent architecture
CPU-independent drivers
Flexible pre-OS environment, including network capability
Modular design

any of this make a difference? anything else on this page?

http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Unified_Extensible_Firmware_Interface

There is no such thing as a FSB on any modern processor, so I'm not quite sure what you're talking about here.

sorry i meant hypertransport. so basically what is the benefit of 990fx vs 970.

I have lots of them in my storage servers at work, they're fine. No more or less reliable than Seagates or WD's overall.

alright. what about this particular model?

http://www.newegg.com/Product/Produc...82E16822149407

are the reds able to be used as a home drive like a blue or black? what is intellipower?

thinking about reusing my corsair gs 800. to be careful and not just burn up all my components i buy, are there any good power supply testers you recommend? if the voltages tested out just fine with a multimeter does the power supply work fine?

also so i have a selection of cases to chose from, if you guys have anymore cases you like please list them here.

looking at the asus 270x direct cu 2 top now. it has a aftermarket cooler and is only 10 more than stock. is this a good card?

http://www.newegg.com/Product/Produc...82E16814121802

 

[lehtv]

No need to test the power supply. If it starts acting up, RMA with Corsair

 

[mfenn]

Ability to boot from large disks (over 2 TiB) with a GUID Partition Table
CPU-independent architecture
CPU-independent drivers
Flexible pre-OS environment, including network capability
Modular design

any of this make a difference? anything else on this page?

http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Unified_Extensible_Firmware_Interface

The only one of those that makes a difference to the end-user is being able to boot from a larger than 2TB drive. Even that is less useful because most people are moving to SSD boot drives. The rest only matter to firmware and OS developers.

sorry i meant hypertransport. so basically what is the benefit of 990fx vs 970.

The main benefit of the 990FX is more PCIe lanes for CFX/SLI purposes. By the way, both the 970 and 990FX support 2600 MHz HyperTransport (not that it really matters for most applications).

alright. what about this particular model?

http://www.newegg.com/Product/Produc...82E16822149407

That one's fine, but I'd take the Seagate that lehtv linked earlier because it costs less.

are the reds able to be used as a home drive like a blue or black? what is intellipower?

You can, but you don't want to. "IntelliPower" is the WD code word for "5400RPM".

also so i have a selection of cases to chose from, if you guys have anymore cases you like please list them here.

What are you looking for in a case? Just so you know, the N400 that lehtv posted is probably the best mix of features and performance in your price range ($50).

looking at the asus 270x direct cu 2 top now. it has a aftermarket cooler and is only 10 more than stock. is this a good card?

http://www.newegg.com/Product/Produc...82E16814121802

It's fine, ASUS has one of the best coolers this time around.

 

[norseamd]

What are you looking for in a case? Just so you know, the N400 that lehtv posted is probably the best mix of features and performance in your price range ($50).

as large as a size that i can get at the price. 4 usb, preferably 2 of them 3.0
good fan placement. that particular one is one of my top choices now, thankyou for finding it.

http://arstechnica.com/gaming/2013/...out-to-be-pretty-straight-forward/?comments=1

any thoughts here? thinking about dual or even triple bot with steamos and mint.

You can, but you don't want to. "IntelliPower" is the WD code word for "5400RPM".

alright. can you tell me about the model lines of seagate. also wd has some mainstream and performance drives. whee do these fit in with the green, red, blue and black?

It's fine, ASUS has one of the best coolers this time around.

might buy that one then. the other choices were the vapor x, hawk, or toxic. any of those worth buying more? that toxic went down from like 250 or 260 to 240. it still does not seem worth the cost, even if it is the fastest, coolest, quietest 270x on the amrket. at the price point, i should be able to buy a 280, except it apparantly has not even launched yet, and the price would be inflated anyways. even so i just dont like the idea of paying in a another product category for that toxic card.

on antoher note, the vapor x comes with battlefield 4. i would like to play the game, but have avoided origin for their tos. is the service as indruting as its made out to be? it is not that hard to not buy battlefield 4, but as a free game i might consider it if origin is fine to use. is it any more intrusive than steam? i mean steam does not log every software package installed and uninstalled on your system right?

 

[lehtv]

as large as a size that i can get at the price. 4 usb, preferably 2 of them 3.0
good fan placement. that particular one is one of my top choices now, thankyou for finding it.

If you want anything substantially bigger than the N400, you'll need to go full tower. There are some sub $100 cases that stand out as being bulky for mid towers, but if you were going to pay that much for size you might as well get a Phantom

alright. can you tell me about the model lines of seagate. also wd has some mainstream and performance drives. whee do these fit in with the green, red, blue and black?

Seagate doesn't have drives corresponding to Black (5 year warranty). Their standard desktop drives are 7200 RPM drives, just different sizes; they correspond to WD Blue although Blues only go up to 1TB. The Red drives are for NAS, and Seagate does have some NAS drives but you can forget about that cos you're not setting up NAS

Seagate also has lower speed 5900 RPM drives intended for video storage, these correspond to WD Green.

might buy that one then. the other choices were the vapor x, hawk, or toxic. any of those worth buying more?

Nah, none of those is any better. The DC2T is Asus' highest end SKU for the 270X which means it will have a nice factory OC just like Hawk or Toxic, and should also be quite OC'able beyond that.

on antoher note, the vapor x comes with battlefield 4. i would like to play the game, but have avoided origin for their tos. is the service as indruting as its made out to be? it is not that hard to not buy battlefield 4, but as a free game i might consider it if origin is fine to use. is it any more intrusive than steam? i mean steam does not log every software package installed and uninstalled on your system right?

If you want BF4 with the card, get Gigabyte 270X Windforce for $210.

I haven't found Origin to be that bad, it's just a cheap and stripped down version of Steam from a less likeable company. I've got BF3 and Mass Effect 3 in Origin, never had any issues.

 

[norseamd]

If you want anything substantially bigger than the N400, you'll need to go full tower. There are some sub $100 cases that stand out as being bulky for mid towers, but if you were going to pay that much for size you might as well get a Phantom

the case i was using ws a 16 by 17 so a 20 by 20 should be fine. it is just that i might want the biggest case possible under 50. thankyou for finding that n 400.

I haven't found Origin to be that bad, it's just a cheap and stripped down version of Steam from a less likeable company. I've got BF3 and Mass Effect 3 in Origin, never had any issues.

do you know any of the spicifics on the privacy issues?

do you know how uefi might affect multiple os use?

 

[mfenn]

do you know any of the spicifics on the privacy issues?

Take a look at this writeup. Short answer, yes Origin collects data, but no EA doesn't sell your data. If you don't want that, then definitely don't install Origin. I'd also recommend uninstalling Steam, because it does the same thing.

do you know how uefi might affect multiple os use?

Most aftermarket boards run in BIOS compatibility mode by default, so multiboot will work exactly how it has always worked.

 

[lehtv]

do you know any of the spicifics on the privacy issues?

I haven't looked into that, no

do you know how uefi might affect multiple os use?

I don't think it affects that at all.

 

[norseamd]

what video card size would be ideal if i want to run skyrim with enb.

4 gb or 2 gb?

would a 2 gb 270x work just fine?

 

[lehtv]

I don't think ENB is all that memory hungry, but large resolution textures definitely are. 2GB would be fine

 

[norseamd]

2gb would be fine for enb or large res tectures?

 

[norseamd]

climates of tamriel
smim
water
glaciers remastered
improved interior lighting
lighting and fx
plus other mods like more npcs in cities, follewer mods, and crafting mods.

my 6850 seem to run thes just fine. if i use enb and hi res textures would the 2 gb 270x be enough?

what about this texture combiner i just read about? does this combine a large variety of hi res textures in one mod so i do not have to downoad them all?

 

[norseamd]

I'd also recommend uninstalling Steam, because it does the same thing.

they do not seem to list what they collect. do you know where to find documentation on what steam collects?